Dear friends at Conch-L,

I haven't had a chance to check the status of the beaches (the beach
parking lots are actually officially closed). Right now I have my hands
full trying to keep the Museum operational "in safe mode" (to use a MS
Windows analogy). I heard, however, that shelling immediately following the
hurricane was not good at all. The few storms that hit us last week and
over the weekend brought some shells, however. In addition I am spending
time trying to raise funds to help the Museum sail through the period it is
closed. Some of you have helped, and I am very thankful for the support we
have been receiving from the shelling community. In relation to
modification of the coastline: the island of North Captiva (also known as
"Upper Captiva" among locals was transversally split in half. On August 4,
nine days before Charley hit, as part of the 2004 Meeting of the American
Malacological Society I led a field trip to Cayo Costa, the barrier island
immediately to the north of North Captiva. Cayo Costa State Park is now
closed. I hope our lovely islands can go back to normal life as soon as
possible. If you want to follow the recovery and check on the dates of
opening for the Museum, check the Web site www.shellmuseum.org or the City
of Sanibel Web site at www.mysanibel.com.

Thanks for your concern and support!!

José

__________________________________________________________________________
José H. Leal, Ph.D., Director
The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor, The Nautilus
www.shellmuseum.org

3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
(239)395-2233
fax (239)395-6706

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